Man arrested after deputy fires 2 shots

A sheriff's deputy fired two shots Friday at a Herriman man who threatened law enforcers with a realistic-looking Airsoft gun.

The deputies did not know at the time that the gun was not real, said Salt Lake County Sheriff's Lt. Don Hutson.

Neither shot hit the man, who dropped his weapon and quickly surrendered.

The incident began about 11:15 a.m., when deputies were called to a domestic dispute. They went to a house near 13700 South and 5800 West where a woman had run across the street to her neighbor's house to call 911. The woman needed to retrieve some items from her house so she could go stay somewhere else but was afraid to go back in because she and her husband "were not getting along," Hutson said.

Two deputies arrived at the house to watch over the situation and make sure the woman could get her items without incident.

As the deputies were standing in the street waiting for the wife in the neighbor's house, the husband came out of his house holding something behind his back, Hutson said.

The husband started to walk toward the street, and the deputies could see he had what appeared to be a handgun. The man brandished the handgun, waving it in the direction of the deputies, while continuing to walk toward them, Hutson said.

The deputies continued to tell the man, "Stay away, stay away" and drew their weapons, he said. The man continued walking and got to the edge of his property when one of the deputies fired two shots from about 35 feet away, Hutson said.

Both shots missed the man. But he quickly dropped his weapon and surrendered, Hutson said. The weapon turned out to be a long-barrel handgun that shoots Airsoft BBs.

When asked if the deputy purposely missed the man, Hutson said deputies are not taught to fire warning shots. Both shots hit the foundation of the man's house. No one was injured.

Robert Zisumbo, 43, was taken into custody for questioning. The deputy who fired the shots was placed on standard paid administrative leave pending an investigation by the Salt Lake County District Attorney's Office.

The woman involved in Friday's incident filed for divorce against Zisumbo in 2000. It was not known Friday what happened with that divorce.

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